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The differences between lead cooks and lead associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a lead cook, becoming a lead associate takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a lead associate has an average salary of $54,903, which is higher than the $35,964 average annual salary of a lead cook.
The top three skills for a lead cook include customer service, food handling and culinary. The most important skills for a lead associate are PET, leadership, and POS.
| Lead Cook | Lead Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $35,964 | $54,903 |
| Hourly rate | $17.29 | $26.40 |
| Growth rate | 16% | - |
| Number of jobs | 160,223 | 188,353 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 38 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A lead cook, or lead line cook, is an individual restaurant employee who is in charge of supervising the chain of food preparation done by line cooks. Lead cooks work directly under head cooks or chefs who provide instructions in preparing meals. They are well-versed in the restaurant's food health and safety, such as regular hand washing, utensil sanitizing, and proper garbage disposal. To be a successful lead cook, they must obtain knowledge of various cooking techniques and be passionate about food.
The duties of a lead associate depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. In a retail setting, their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify new business opportunities, devising strategies to optimize sales, and reaching out to clients through calls and correspondence. A lead associate may offer products and services to potential clients, answer inquiries, conduct demonstrations, process payments, arrange billing plans, and perform follow-up calls. Furthermore, they may also handle issues and concerns, resolving them in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.
Lead cooks and lead associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Cook | Lead Associate | |
| Average salary | $35,964 | $54,903 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $46,000 | Between $25,000 And $117,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Freeport-McMoRan | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | - |
There are a few differences between a lead cook and a lead associate in terms of educational background:
| Lead Cook | Lead Associate | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Business |
| Most common college | - | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi |
Here are the differences between lead cooks' and lead associates' demographics:
| Lead Cook | Lead Associate | |
| Average age | 38 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.6% Female, 27.4% | Male, 44.8% Female, 55.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 9.4% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 6.9% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 9% |